Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of hydrocyclone design in microplastics-water separation by using computational fluid dynamics simulations

Researchers used computer fluid dynamics simulations to test and optimize the design of hydrocyclones — spinning funnel-shaped devices that use centrifugal force to separate particles from water — for removing microplastics, finding an optimized geometry that achieved 76% microplastic recovery. The results show that carefully tuning the proportions of a hydrocyclone's components can significantly improve its ability to filter microplastics from water at scale.

2024 Results in Engineering 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled CFD-DEM modelling to assess settlement velocity and drag coefficient of microplastics

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics coupled with particle simulations to model how the size, shape, and density of microplastics affect their settling velocity and drag in water. Accurate physical models of microplastic behavior are essential for predicting where particles accumulate in rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

2020 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of elutriation device for filtration of microplastic particles from sediment

Researchers optimized an elutriation device — which uses upward water flow to separate particles by density — achieving high microplastic recovery rates from sediment by adjusting flow rate and column diameter. The optimized device provides a practical, low-cost tool for extracting microplastics from environmental sediment samples in research and monitoring programs.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimising miniaturised hydrocyclones for enhanced separation of microplastics

Researchers optimized the design of miniaturized hydrocyclones for separating small microplastics in the 5-20 micrometer range from water. Using computational fluid dynamics simulations, they identified optimal inlet geometry and flow conditions that significantly improved particle separation efficiency. The study demonstrates that mini-hydrocyclones could serve as a compact and energy-efficient technology for removing very small microplastics from water treatment systems.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of hydrocyclone size on microplastics separation: a computational fluid dynamics investigation

Researchers used computer fluid dynamics simulations to test how the size of a hydrocyclone — a cone-shaped device that uses spinning water to separate particles — affects its ability to remove microplastics from water. Smaller hydrocyclones generated stronger centrifugal forces and recovered more microplastics, though they also required more energy, revealing a trade-off that engineers must balance in real-world water treatment systems.

2025 South African Journal of Chemical Engineering
Article Tier 2

Is There a Difference in Yield? A Comparative Analysis of Microplastics Sampling Techniques in River Water with a Low-Velocity Flow

Researchers compared three microplastic sampling techniques in low-velocity river water, quantifying differences in particle abundance and characteristics to evaluate which method most accurately captures microplastic concentrations in surface water environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Small Microplastic Sampling in Water: Development of an Encapsulated Filtration Device

A new encapsulated filtration device was developed for sampling small microplastics (in the lower micrometer size range) from water, reducing contamination and sample loss compared to standard net methods. Capturing very small microplastics is important because this size range is particularly abundant and potentially most harmful.

2018 Water 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastics sediment sampling techniques—efficiency of common methods and new approaches

Researchers tested how well common sediment sampling tools capture microplastics in riverbeds and found that standard grab samplers and corers lose fine, low-density particles — the very type that microplastics tend to be. A combination of methods is needed for accurate measurements, and freeze coring shows promise as a more reliable future technique.

2022 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficiency of five samplers to trap suspended particulate matter and microplastic particles of different sizes

This study compared the efficiency of five different samplers for collecting suspended particulate matter and microplastics from rivers and lakes, evaluating which designs provide the most representative samples for quantitative chemical and microplastic analysis.

2023 Chemosphere 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of continuous flow centrifugation as an alternative technique to sample microplastic from water bodies

Continuous flow centrifugation was tested as an alternative to traditional net trawling for sampling microplastics from water bodies and showed promising results, particularly for capturing smaller particles. Standardizing sampling methods is a critical step toward making microplastic studies more comparable across labs and locations.

2019 Marine Environmental Research 59 citations
Article Tier 2

High throughput application of ASTM D8332: Detailed prototype design and operating conditions for microplastic sampling of riverine systems

Researchers designed and tested a high-throughput pumping system based on the ASTM D8332 standard as an alternative to net-based sampling for collecting microplastics from turbulent, sediment-heavy freshwater rivers and stormwater systems. Improving sampling methodology is critical for generating reliable data on microplastic concentrations in river systems, which are a major pathway for plastic pollution reaching the ocean.

2024 MethodsX 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and testing of a fractionated filtration for sampling of microplastics in water

Researchers developed and tested a fractionated filtration system for sampling microplastics in water bodies, proposing a standardized sampling concept that accounts for plastic-specific properties to improve comparability of microplastic data across different studies and environments.

2018 Water Research 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Numerical study on the mechanism of microplastic separation from water by cyclonic air flotation

This numerical study modeled the separation of microplastics from water using cyclone separators, optimizing design parameters and flow conditions to improve removal efficiency across different particle sizes and densities.

2024 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Computational fluid dynamics and artificial neural network based modeling of microplastics seperation using hydrocyclone

This study used computational fluid dynamics and artificial neural networks to model the separation of microplastics using hydrocyclone technology, aiming to improve removal efficiency for these environmental contaminants from water. The combined modeling approach provided a framework for optimizing hydrocyclone design for microplastic removal.

2024
Article Tier 2

The Effect Of Wave Length And Amplitude on The Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Waste Collection Vessels Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

This computational fluid dynamics study examined how wave conditions affect the hydrodynamic performance of a vessel designed to collect marine debris from the water surface. Efficient marine debris collection vessels are important for removing plastic waste before it degrades into microplastics in the ocean.

2023 International Journal of Marine Engineering Innovation and Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

An efficient extraction device for microplastics in marine sediments and its applications

Researchers developed a new high-efficiency extraction device for separating microplastics from marine sediment samples using air pumps and metal perforated plate fillers. The device demonstrated improved effectiveness and efficiency compared to conventional density flotation methods for isolating plastic particles. The study suggests this tool could enhance the accuracy of quantitative microplastic detection in marine environments where sediments serve as significant pollution sinks.

2024 RSC Advances 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Novel Application of Filtration for the Collection of Microplastics in Waterways

Researchers developed a novel filtration system for collecting microplastics from waterways, demonstrating its effectiveness as a scalable and practical tool for environmental monitoring and plastic pollution assessment.

2024 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Unlocking accurate microplastic data: Advanced pump systems for diverse aquatic environments

This study developed the MiPCS Pump, an innovative sampling system for collecting microplastics from diverse aquatic environments including rivers, coastal waters, and sediment interfaces. The pump system improved collection efficiency and reduced contamination compared to conventional grab sampling, offering a more accurate tool for aquatic microplastic monitoring.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Towards a More Sustainable Water Treatment: Design of a Hydrodynamic Test Rig and Testing of a Novel Microplastic Filter Using Biomimetics

Researchers designed a hydrodynamic test rig and a novel biomimetic microplastic filter inspired by aquatic filter-feeding organisms, aiming to improve solid-liquid separation in water treatment. The study demonstrates how biological filtration strategies can inform more sustainable industrial microplastic removal approaches.

2024 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Systematic Evaluation of Physical Parameters Affecting the Terminal Settling Velocity of Microplastic Particles in Lakes Using CFD

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics to systematically evaluate how physical parameters including size, shape, density, and surface roughness affect microplastic settling velocity in lakes, finding that particle shape and density are the most influential factors determining residence time.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on Capture Performance of an Induction Type Microplastics Recovery Device

Researchers designed and tested an induction-type device to capture and recover microplastics from ocean water. The device uses tilted inlet plates and controlled water flow to separate and collect plastic particles. Developing effective recovery tools is an important part of addressing the buildup of microplastics in marine environments.

2023 Open Journal of Fluid Dynamics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Numerical Study of Microplastic Dispersal in Simulated Coastal Waters Using CFD Approach

Researchers used CFD numerical simulations to model microplastic dispersal in simulated coastal waters, investigating how particle type, size, shape, flow velocity, and temperature affect the transport and distribution patterns of PET, PU, and polypropylene microplastics.

2021 Water 25 citations
Article Tier 2

CFD Simulation of DAF processing for removal microplastic in different flotation solution

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics to simulate dissolved air flotation (DAF) for removing microplastics from various wastewater types. The simulations showed that optimal bubble-to-particle ratios and flow conditions significantly improved removal efficiency, providing a design framework for scaling up DAF in water treatment systems.

2025 Water Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Use of computational fluid dynamics to model microplastic transport in the stormwater runoff system

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics simulations to model how microplastics move through stormwater wetland systems. They found that particle density, size, and shape significantly influenced transport patterns, with heavier particles settling more readily while lighter ones traveled further through the system. The study provides insights that could help optimize wetland design for more effective microplastic capture from urban stormwater runoff.

2025 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 5 citations